OK, discussion time for grown ups - why is it so hard to have good refs?

[OttoinGrotto]

It sure seems to me like a lot of these guys are just awful at their occupation.

OK, sure, they travel a lot. OK, sure, the game is fast and they have to make split second decisions.

Is this the best that officiating can be?

 

[HoustonCuse]

I fully realize that it is a very difficult job. I would be willing to say its just damn hard and the product we see from them is about the best that can be expected given the speed of the game, etc. But you DO see excellent officiating sometimes so you know there is something better than what we see on a regular basis. I suppose it could be chalked up to the refs have good and bad games just like players do.

As an interesting observation: the UK board (theoretically neutral) was repulsed by the officiating too. Bilas made several reference to poor calls and even called out Burr quite badly when he didn't know which player he had called a foul on.

 

[310Pigpen]

Its terrible, there should be an age limit and a physical fitness test at the beginning of the season.

 

[djcon57]

Its terrible, there should be an age limit and a physical fitness test at the beginning of the season.

Seriously...and the worst case of the game was our gift of the continuation on the Melo lay-in. What exactly was Burr looking at there?

 

[Ghost]

Yeah, I could care less about marginal calls if they're consistent (calling lots of chippy stuff or none of it), but these guys miss some glaringly obvious calls with frightening consistency. It's really incredible how bad a FEW of these guys are.

You also have Higgins that just blows his whistle from time to time to see if it works, because there is no way he can see the foul from his vantage point, or just plain blows it prior to contact. I assume he just needs a rest.

 

[Ghost]

Seriously...and the worst case of the game was our gift of the continuation on the Melo lay-in. What exactly was Burr looking at there?

That call was bar none the worst of the night.

 

[Cusefan95]

I think some of it is that refs like Burr are like 750 years old and have trouble making it up and down the court without keeling over having a heart attack. There's gotta be some younger guys that are more in game shape...but for some reason the same old fossils keep officiating and we get disasters like tonight. Or basically any game Burr or Higgins officiate.

I would think that somebody that was almost approaching compotent like Timmy and Jim used to be able to do would be embarrassed when they saw how awful they are now, so I'll add in that apparently some of these guys value a paycheck over their pride.

 

[Upstate]

Seriously...and the worst case of the game was our gift of the continuation on the Melo lay-in. What exactly was Burr looking at there?

it was a makeup for the phanton and-1 that they gave Dieng on a KJ "reach". Literally the next play.

 

[tbonezone]

these geezers work tooo many games imo. college reffing needs a serious youth injection and a two game a week limit.

 

[OttoMets]

Seriously...and the worst case of the game was our gift of the continuation on the Melo lay-in. What exactly was Burr looking at there?

It was a horrendous call. There was no shooting foul.

Of course, it also wasn't a common foul. The Louisville player bear-hugged Melo without making a play on the ball.

Those officials are just so horrendous at their job.

 

[310Pigpen]

Just wondering but how do you become a ref at this level?

 

[rstone7727]

Dion should have been called for a foul driving down court and whacking a guy with his off hand, officials apparently didn't see it.

 

[longtimefan]

Seriously...and the worst case of the game was our gift of the continuation on the Melo lay-in. What exactly was Burr looking at there?

Interesting play. Obviously, Melo had not commenced his shooting motion. But, watching the replay, a case could be made for an intentional (now flagrant 1) foul. Dieng was in no way playing the ball when he attacked Melo.

 

[MartyCuse]

I have been wondering the same thing. It is a hard job with a lot of travel, physical work and you are always wrong... However you would think they would have a lot of younger guys wanting to break in. Not everyone can become a college coach. I know you have to work your way in but the refs we see week in and out don't seem to change. It is a problem that will have to be addressed at some point.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I mean, look, I make pretty good money, but I could be interested in a job that gives me summers off and pays in the six figures even though the expectation is that I'll be terrible.

 

[orangefan13]

There were worse calls then Melos continuation. The guy had all arm and melo slipped it into one hand and laid it in.
Had he had enough of the ball he doesn't get the lay-in.

There were a few calls where scoop and melo never touched a guy with any part of their body and got whistled.
Dion and Fair got bodied late in teh game no and one or foul shots.

I won't even mention a few of the calls in the second half where the ref with the players backs to him calls reach in fouls. He can't even see where someones hands hit.

Granted a ref who can see the front side of the players should have made the call on the melo continuation not burr who can only see the players backs.

Only thing missing was the half court ref call on a player under the basket.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

worst calls of the game:

Melo continuation.

Fair getting god smacked by African dude on a drive late in the game.

offensive goaltending not called vs Mc'Donalds dude from Lousville...and announcers missed this one as well.

block that should have been called on Melo but instead went as a charge on Siva

 

[mountaincuse]

Way too many bad calls, both for us and against, but I have to say the worst call was Burr calling a foul and then having to delay the game to go to the monitor to find out who he called it on.

 

[suhoops4life]

It sure seems to me like a lot of these guys are just awful at their occupation.

OK, sure, they travel a lot. OK, sure, the game is fast and they have to make split second decisions.

Is this the best that officiating can be?

At one point, late in the game, SU was going on that run & got a few calls. I thought I saw Pitino telling the ref on the sideline more than once: " You're ing me." After that, the calls definitely went the way of the Ville, up until the last 1-2 minutes. How does he not get T'd up for saying that crap?

 

[orangefan13]

I still feel ville got the majority. and if I played back the tape in slow motion I would place a money bet the overall consensus would agree.

 

[All4SU]

worst calls of the game:

Melo continuation.

Fair getting god smacked by African dude on a drive late in the game.

offensive goaltending not called vs Mc'Donalds dude from Lousville...and announcers missed this one as well.

block that should have been called on Melo but instead went as a charge on Siva

How about the hanging on the rim on the LVille player? There was no foul called, he just grabbed on a swung on it.

 

[All4SU]

First off:
Refs in virtually all sports have to pass physical tests each season.
Second, I know a guy who is trying to work his way into reffing BBall at a high level. He tells me it is incredibly competitive, political, and a very lengthy process. It takes these guys a long time to move up the ranks, and struggle to get assignments in lower level college games. Considering how long some of these older guys hang on, it is no wonder.

 

[tbonezone]

if your waist exceeds your inseam and your BAC exceeds 2.o the job is yours.

 

[LennX6]

Way too many bad calls, both for us and against, but I have to say the worst call was Burr calling a foul and then having to delay the game to go to the monitor to find out who he called it on.

I have burst into laughter over this one three times tonite. What a putz. Every time cringes when its a Burr or Higgins game. Its really almost farcical.